Join me in my efforts to ensure children have access to healthcare & nutrition
Menstruating women in India face significant restrictions due to the belief that they are impure, leading to their exclusion from social and religious events, temples, shrines, and even kitchens. In some rural and tribal communities, women must stay in separate menstrual huts during their periods. A lack of open conversation about menstruation results in 71% of adolescent girls being unaware of it until they experience it, causing avoidable fear and anxiety. Only 36% of India’s menstruating females use sanitary napkins, while the rest rely on harmful materials like old rags, husk, ash, leaves, mud, and soil. This lack of proper menstrual hygiene management contributes to health risks and perpetuates stigma. Social media has recently become a platform for women to share their menstrual experiences, but many families still cannot afford menstrual hygiene products, leading to 23 million girls dropping out of school annually due to inadequate sanitation facilities and access to sanitary products. Campaigners stress the need for education, awareness, and policy changes to challenge these deep-seated taboos and improve menstrual hygiene practices. Addressing these socio-cultural taboos and myths is crucial to improving the emotional, mental, and physical health of girls and women in India.
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Delaware Valley members to support CRY via donation
Hi My name is Rania. I am a high school Junior and am honored to have the opportunity to volunteer with CRY USA and to raise funds for the Healthy smiles project.
Just imagine a world where children don’t have to worry about hunger, where clean water flows freely, and where medical care is readily available. Sadly, for many children around the world, especially in India, this is not their reality. Malnutrition, lack of clean water, and limited access to medical care are daily struggles that millions of children face.
The Healthy Smiles project aims to change this narrative. By addressing the root causes of malnutrition, ensuring proper hygiene and basic medical care, we can give these children a chance at a brighter future.
Malnutrition not only affects a child’s physical health but also impacts their cognitive development and overall well-being. By supporting Healthy Smiles, you can help ensure proper nutrition and healthcare to children in need, ensuring they grow up healthy and strong.
Medical care should not be a luxury but a right for every child. Your contribution to Healthy Smiles will help ensure children get age appropriate vaccinations, pregnant women have access to healthcare at the time of child birth, community has access to public healthcare centers and ensure that children receive the healthcare they deserve, preventing illnesses and saving lives.
Every child deserves a chance to thrive, to smile, and to dream of a better tomorrow.
Your support for Healthy Smiles can make this vision a reality. Together, we can remove the barriers that stand between these children and a healthy, happy future.
Join us in this important mission. Your donation can make a difference in the lives of children in need. Let’s come together and create a world where every child has a reason to smile.
Thank you for your generosity and compassion.
CRY America, established in 2004 is an NGO in the USA, stands as a powerful advocate for underprivileged children, addressing their rights, education, healthcare, and overall development.
In 2006, India passed The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act which prohibits girls from getting married under the age of 18 and boys from getting married under the age of 21.
However, this did not entirely end child marriage.
India has the largest number of child brides in the world: 223 million child brides. Roughly 23% of women in India are married under the age of 18. Child marriage affects boys as well, but it affects girls exponentially more.
So why does child marriage happen?
Child marriage is something that has become integrated into India’s social norms. Oftentimes, when one family sees someone else in their community marrying their child, they feel socially obligated to marry their child too. Some families also devalue women and view them as an economic burden, so they marry their girls off as soon as possible to avoid paying for her education and care.
Child marriage affects children negatively in numerous ways.
If a child, particularly a girl is married, they are less likely to attend school, furthering the possibility that they will live in poverty or lack financial independence.
They are also more likely to be a victim of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and emotional trauma.
They are more likely to not have proper access to birth control
They are more likely to have an early pregnancy or die from childbirth.
They are more likely to develop AIDS and other sexual health problems.
As stated earlier, there is currently a law in India that prevents child marriage, however child marriage continues to exist, especially in rural areas. Investing in a child’s education is truly imperative as there is a direct link between children staying in school longer and a decrease in child marriages. Furthermore, if children were to stay in school they are more likely to have a higher paying job and not live in poverty.
There are a number of grass-root organizations who work with communities in India to convince them not to marry off their children and advocate for child welfare. CRY funds and works closely with these organizations, providing them with the much needed support.
Please consider donating as much as you can to this campaign.
Let’s work together to end child marriage once and for all.
“In serving the best interests of our children, we serve the best interests of all humanity” – Carol Bellamy, American non-profit executive and politician.
We are a Student Led Action Center in San Ramon, California, dedicated to supporting this incredible cause. We are so grateful to be able to have this wonderful opportunity to contribute to ensuring the rights of underprivileged children & youth. Over the years, our team has worked to organize a couple of events, including our CRY Holi, Restaurant Fundraisers, CRY Online Workshops (during the COVID years!), and so much more! We look forward to organizing more events in the future & furthering the cause in any way possible.
You can support our efforts to raise much needed funds for children in need by making a donation on this page
Come enjoy chaat, rangoli, music, and other Diwali celebrations with us and your friends. Please RSVP so we can ensure we keep everyone fed and happy!
Underprivileged children living across the world live in poverty and are thus denied the basic human right of healthcare. These children filled to the brim with protentional are trapped in a cycle of poverty and suffering due to their unfortunate situation.
Across the globe an estimated 15,000 children before the age of 5 die due to causes that could have been prevented by proper healthcare. The number 15,000 isn’t just a number it is 15,000 dreams extinguished and the lives of many more affected.
But amidst all this suffering of children there is hope! A hope that each of us can be a beacon for change and give these children a better life. It is up to us. Each child saved is a victory for humanity and you can help achieve each victory.
“Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.” (President John F. Kennedy)
Many girls cannot complete their education. The parents of these children also don’t find it as important for a girl to go to school because of the discrimination and bias. They don’t view girls on the same academic or social level as boys and subsequently don’t make an effort to send their child to school. People believe that these girls should just get married off and their purpose in life is over. However, many others disagree strongly with this belief including myself.
I believe that women can in fact have an education, have a career, and be just as good as men. Families neglect their daughter’s education more because they believe that their son can succeed. To help these girls finish their education, we need to make a change in our mindset. We should help many families understand that daughters can achieve the same as sons. They deserve the same education and freedom in their life as anybody else.
For example, my own mother and her two sisters could have not been given an education. However, their parents believed in them and let them pursue and complete their education, unlike many other people in that time. And those sisters became successful, all because their parents’ mindset was correct. So like these parents, many others should strive to be the same and allow their daughters the same freedom as their sons or other boys.
Help me in trying to make a meaningful difference for girl’s education,
Neha Deshpande
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